Caroline

Great audio book. It has totally disrupted my life over the last days because I've stayed awake to listen, not been able to work because I couldn't stop listening and thinking about it whilst not listening. Really brilliant reading and I will be totally bereft when it finishes in about an hours' time. Best audio book I've had for ages.

I was wondering whether I should download this book after some of the reviews saying that they didn't like the characters, but I'm so glad I did! I had tons of work to do and yet I couldn't tear myself away from this book. I really liked the readers very much, they were perfect for it. You do work out what's going on fairly soon, but you're supposed to and I couldn't wait to find out how it resolved. You do have to suspend belief on a few occasions, but it's entertainment so, so what. I found some of the writing surprisingly good, there were some descriptive parts that really made me pause for thought and admire the ideas. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was that the end was a slight letdown, but don't let that put you off, it's really worth a listen.

I really enjoyed this book very much. The story is such a great one and the characters so interesting, my only small reservation being the vocal characterisations that the narrator gave to the various protagonists; Armstrong was portrayed with a bit of girlish voice which was not the case. That aside, I found it really exciting and packed with nuggets of information and it's my favourite listen of the last few months.

I am now totally hooked on audiobooks by Jon Ronson, and this one did not disappoint - quite the reverse. Like the previous reviewer I found the James Bond chapter laugh-out-loud funny, it's worth buying just for that chapter. But the rest of the book is wonderful too, Ronson asks the obvious, child-like questions that we would all like to ask but generally don't. He is so interested in the people and situations he seeks out and he sometimes shines lights into places that intrepid, investigative journalists would normally go, whilst being rather timorous and only armed by his honest naivety.



I am already looking forward to his next book and also, please audible would you commission him to read his 'The Men Who Stare at Goats'? Please....

Really great story well-written, but I was driven mad by the author narrating it, as he has a tendency to say 'wiv' instead of with and many other 'th's end up as either v or ff. I listened, gripped even through my gritted teeth, as the story was so good. I'm sure he's a great historian, but Mr Holland is not my favourite reader.

This was hilarious and I think my dogs thought I'd gone mad as I was was laughing so much with no-one around. I love Jon Ronson's writing, even more especially when he reads it, his timing and delivery are perfect. Still giggling.... Thank you for a wonderful freebie!

I enjoy listening to this in the early mornings before my run, and although I don't always agree with absolutely everything he says there is a lot to interest me in there and I've listened to it a few times.

The book itself is wonderful, but the narrators add a dimension that I might have missed in reading it from the page. That is not something I would find very often. Suffice it to say that the performance is absolutely second to none. A tour de force.

One of the most gripping audiobooks I've listened to. I didn't expect to like it so much, but it totally won me over.

I'm only part-way through listening, but I'm absolutely hooked. I must disagree with a previous reviewer in that I find Bryson's narration much better than the reader of A Short History of Nearly Everything; I love his reading here. Like that book though, this will be one I anticipate returning to re-listen to several times. Wonderful!